I don’t write romance as a genre, but my books have love and relationships (and sex) in them because they’re about life and that sort of thing happens, a lot—not always when or how we expect it to happen. In fact it sometimes sneaks up on us when we’re not looking. Because it’s Valentine’s Day on Thursday, here are the romantic bits from my two trilogies. How the two main characters met and fell in love, told from the point of view of my two (female) protagonists. Of course, a lot more happens besides romance, but that’s not what this post is about.

The Psi-Tech Trilogy – Cara Carlinni speaks.I was on the run. I spotted Ben Benjamin in a spacers’ bar on Miramar 14 station. There was a bit of a ruckus and Benjamin came out on top, but he didn’t lose his temper. Instead he defused a situation that could have become thoroughly nasty in a somebody-dies kinda way. I can work with that, I thought, especially since he flies his own ship and I need a way out of here. So I stepped in and gave the right kind of signals and pretty soon we were out of the bar and heading for his room. That’s when I made my first mistake. I got it wrong. I figured he was the kind of man who wouldn’t dump someone he’s just had sex with in the deep shit. (Unlike my previous lover who had been exactly that kind of man.) In fact, Ben wouldn’t dump anyone in the deep shit unless they thoroughly deserved it. By the time I realised that it was too late. Don’t get me wrong, sex with Benjamin was OK, at least, not gross or anything, but my emotions simply weren’t in it. I thought I could fool him about that. Second mistake. The guy was perceptive. Let me cut a long story short… He smuggled me off the station, and even though we’d had a bad start, he didn’t try to jump my bones again. I think I began to be a little bit in love with him when we didn’t have sex. Hmmm, maybe love is a bit too strong a word. We became friends, I think. Benjamin’s an easy man to like. Okay, I admit to being a little bit in love with him, but not the kind of love which wouldn’t let me walk away if I needed to. He passed me off as his wife for a time (and still no sex) and we ended up on a planet called Olyanda, trying to protect a colony from our ruthless bosses who wanted the planet’s platinum and were prepared to dispose of the settlers to get it. Loving Benjamin kinda crept up on me. I had trust issues, bigtime, since by this time my previous lover was out to get me and I knew it. Benjamin stood by me. There’s nothing that says I love you more than the act of killing a bad guy to save your life. And the sex? It took a while to get around to it, but it was worth the wait.

The Rowankind Trilogy – Ross Tremayne speaksThe first time I met Corwen doesn’t count because he was in wolf form. My brother, David, my very able seaman, Hookey Garrity, and I were trying to stay ahead of a troop of redcoats by taking a shortcut through the enchanted Okewood, home of the Green Man and his Lady of the Forest. She sent her silver wolf to lead us back to the Bideford road, and I discovered he had a sense of humour, especially where Hookey’s horsemanship (or lack of it) was concerned. The next time our paths crossed was in a respectable inn in Plymouth. He was wholly human then, tall with a pleasing countenance, ice grey eyes and silver hair, a colour, not an indicator of age. I wasn’t looking for love. I was a widow, dammit, and the ghost of my first husband, Will, was still with me, sometimes as no more than a whisper on the wind, sometimes looking solid enough to be a real man. When Corwen kept appearing in places were I had business, I began to get suspicious. These were no casual encounters. I wondered whether he was an agent of the Mysterium, but if that were the case he would simply have had me arrested for the unregistered witch that I was. When David and I escaped from a burning warehouse by jumping into the murky waters of Sutton Pool, it was Corwen who dragged us out of the water and got us back to our inn. I still didn’t trust him, not really, but I was grateful for the shoulder to lean on regardless, and by that time I’d realised he wasn’t going to give us away to the Mysterium—though I didn’t know who he was working for. To be honest I never expected the Lady of the Forest to take an interest in me and mine, or to send her watch-wolf. I did play a dirty trick on Corwen, my last one, I promise. He followed me aboard my ship, the Heart of Oak, and explained things a little more. I was still determined not to allow him to interfere, so I had him chained up belowdecks while David and I put ashore to search for our long lost family. I told Hookey to keep Corwen and let him go far away where he couldn’t interfere. But the man is persistent, I’ll give him that. Corwen escaped and eventually caught up with us. I suddenly realised that I was glad to see him. I’ve been glad every day since. Will’s ghost was not so glad, but that’s a story for another day.

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About Jacey Bedford

Jacey Bedford maintains this blog. She is a writer of science fiction and fantasy (www.jaceybedford.co.uk), the secretary of Milford SF Writers (www.milfordSF.co.uk), a singer (www.artisan-harmony.com) and a music agent booking UK tours and concerts for folk performers (www.jacey-bedford.com). She's also a Home Office / UK Visas and Immigration department licensed sponsor processing UK work permits (Certificates of Sponsorship).